she [Dr. Rhee] explains things in a way where I can understand. She is straight forward but also with a little compassion so that is more of what I need as a patient rather than beating around the bush. She seems to have much experience and had adjusted my plan based on me...Dr. Rhee wasn't afraid to tell me the news of if my lining wasn't where it needed to be, we were going to have to wait another month for my period cycle and body to try again before implantation. I appreciate that honesty...Although very knowledgeable and factual she asked about my feelings and how I was when we had appointments....
The clinic [Vios Fertility Institute] moved from the hospital location to a free standing building while in the middle of my cycles. It looks fresh and modern... I also like how they have a single lamp in the rooms, its relaxing instead of intense LED lights in your face as you are getting monitored...The cost was per round (visits, monitoring, retrieval, and transfer) was all included in once cost around $14500. The medication was separate cost and that was between $5-$7k extra depending on what you take and how often...
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was fantastic (still in the middle of a cycle), and she explains things in a way where I can understand. She is straight forward but also with a little compassion so that is more of what I need as a patient rather than beating around the bush. She seems to have much experience and had adjusted my plan based on me!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Just ask questions if you don't know or don't completely understand the process. Dr. Rhee will be able to put your mind at ease and explain anything.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Although very knowledgeable and factual she asked about my feelings and how I was when we had appointments.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
Round 1: We worked with Lupron, Menopur, and Follistem. The Menopur being the main medication we had to monitor my cycle to purchase more viles a day or two at a time as to not go overboard on the med expense, or purchase anything I didn't need. Many blood tests and appointments closer to egg retrieval day. I was actually surprised they had a location open on Sat and Sunday and went to a few appointments on the weekend for monitoring. We retrieved 10 eggs, and 2 made it but after PGT testing, 1 was out of the question for frozen transfer and the other was still available just not 100% recommended due to a missing chromosome. Because I responded well to the medications at least one more round was recommended. They gave me the discounted price since we didn't complete a transfer.
Round 2: My medication was slightly adjusted and as usual did the injections. We got to the egg retrieval and I only had 5, where 1 was sent for PGT testing again...but it came back super healthy! This will be the egg we do a frozen transfer soon so at the moment I'm in monitoring stage where they are measuring my uterus lining. Dr. Rhee wasn't afraid to tell me the news of if my lining wasn't where it needed to be, we were going to have to wait another month for my period cycle and body to try again before implantation. I appreciate that honesty.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Alex)
Alex was great and explained/reviewed all next steps I needed to know. Dr. Purdy who performed my transfer was EXCELLENT! She is so nice and bubbly so it eases your mind before you go under during transfer.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The clinic moved from the hospital location to a free standing building while in the middle of my cycles. It looks fresh and modern and I actually like this better...Hospitals in general make me anxious!
I also like how they have a single lamp in the rooms, its relaxing instead of intense LED lights in your face as you are getting monitored.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The cost was per round (visits, monitoring, retrieval, and transfer) was all included in once cost around $14500. The medication was separate cost and that was between $5-$7k extra depending on what you take and how often. Also, if you do a frozen egg testing, that clinic is not associated so it's about $200 per egg that turns into an embryo.
They do offer a discounted 2nd round if the first doesn't work out.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I believe the clinic is a single embryo transfer but I do not have a positive or negative opinion with that choice.
Dr. Rhee was knowledgeable and kind. She was happy to answer questions and made sure we knew our options. She was honest about success rates of IUI and also gave us ballpark figures for our treatment options, which I appreciated because sometimes doctors will not divulge this information...Dr. Rhee is lovely, but you will probably never meet her in person (at least for an IUI). We had our appts with her regarding testing results and our initial meeting via zoom and she was not there for any of the IUI appointments.
The [Vios Fertility Institute] clinic is convenient and new. It’s really nice on the inside. I get strange vibes from the front desk folks. They seem distracted and sometimes (though rarely) annoyed by patients. They seem to assume people will know what’s going on sometimes and aren’t as thorough in their communication as they could be...I love the nursing staff. I feel welcomed and cared for every time I come. They are compassionate and friendly, and they understand how stressful and scary this is for patients.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was knowledgeable and kind. She was happy to answer questions and made sure we knew our options. She was honest about success rates of IUI and also gave us ballpark figures for our treatment options, which I appreciated because sometimes doctors will not divulge this information.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee is lovely, but you will probably never meet her in person (at least for an IUI). We had our appts with her regarding testing results and our initial meeting via zoom and she was not there for any of the IUI appointments.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee took her time explaining things and made sure many times we didn’t have questions. She also made suggestions based on our concerns that would help us feel more at ease.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
We have unexplained fertility so we decided to try IUI first. She told us that made sense since there wasn’t an obvious reason why IUI would be a bad choice. We have only tried IUI once and it didn’t work. She told us IUI only has a ~10% chance of working so we were prepared for something like that to happen.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Mandy)
I love the nursing staff. I feel welcomed and cared for every time I come. They are compassionate and friendly, and they understand how stressful and scary this is for patients.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The clinic is convenient and new. It’s really nice on the inside. I get strange vibes from the front desk folks. They seem distracted and sometimes (though rarely) annoyed by patients. They seem to assume people will know what’s going on sometimes and aren’t as thorough in their communication as they could be.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
My IUI costs were approximately $3,000.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Not applicable
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
During my IUI cycle I wasn’t told when to begin my suppositories. I was told at the beginning of the cycle but not again after the actual insemination. This wasn’t a huge deal because I just sent a message and they got back to me that day.
From our first meeting to our last, she [Dr. Rhee] was always compassionate, attentive, and very thorough. We always felt at ease during what can be a stressful process...She got to know my husband and I, and would remember details of our lives outside of our fertility treatment. She never made us feel rushed as we asked clarifying questions about our treatment or just asked general questions while in the early weeks of pregnancy. ..
This clinic [Kindbody] is very comfortable and the staff is extremely professional. They were very responsive, immediately answering any questions via phone or email. They also got me in on the same day for an ultrasound both times that I had bleeding in early pregnancy…even on a Sunday...All of the nurses were kind and gentle and always explained everything they were doing...
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was specifically recommended to me by my OBGYN when tests showed I had post menopausal numbers when my blood work came back. It’s the best referral I have ever received. From our first meeting to our last, she was always compassionate, attentive, and very thorough. We always felt at ease during what can be a stressful process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Ask as many questions as needed. There is no such thing as a dumb question. We often asked for more information or clarification as we discussed tests, results, options, and procedures. We would sometimes have her explain things further and I am sure, though she was repeating herself, she was always very patient with us and seemed happy to help.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
She got to know my husband and I, and would remember details of our lives outside of our fertility treatment. She never made us feel rushed as we asked clarifying questions about our treatment or just asked general questions while in the early weeks of pregnancy. We always felt Like she was on our side and always felt like we could ask her anything at anytime…even questions about our transition to my regular OBGYN.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
We started with bloodwork and an ultrasound. We then had a procedure to remove a polyp in my uterus. Next I took a pill to get my period started, then went on birth control pills to regulate my cycle. After that we selected an egg donor, my husband provided sperm for analysis and we started an estrogen pill, patch and progesterone injections. Eventually, it was time for another sperm sample to fertilize the donor eggs, 2 made it to 5 day blastocysts. We did a fresh transfer that resulted in the birth of our first child!
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
All of the nurses were kind and gentle and always explained everything they were doing.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
This clinic is very comfortable and the staff is extremely professional. They were very responsive, immediately answering any questions via phone or email. They also got me in on the same day for an ultrasound both times that I had bleeding in early pregnancy…even on a Sunday!
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The doctor had a strong preference to only transfer one embryo, which is what we wanted anyhow.
Dr. Rhee is a great person to talk with, but I would have preferred to work with her through at least the first IUI. I never felt like I was getting the full treatment and was made to feel like I was the issue and that every error was somehow my fault or my husband's fault...Dr. Rhee would often ask us questions about our results during our few follow up calls with her instead of having our results already prepared for discussions.
The [Vios Fertility Institute] clinic and staff were always very busy and seemed terribly overwhelmed...I did not like feeling like I was taking a pop quiz every time I talked with the nurses...I had a few prescription errors...I had to work hard to get information from anyone I came in contact with because the bedside manner was terrible...Over the course of 4 months, I was charged just over $1000, which included 2-3 months of monitoring and prescriptions and only 1 IUI procedure...
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was probably the only reason my husband and I stayed with the VIOS clinic for as long as we did. Because of CoVID, every call we had was virtual - I've never met my FERTILITY doctor in person.
Dr. Rhee would often ask us questions about our results during our few follow up calls with her instead of having our results already prepared for discussions. I was already very overwhelmed with information and never received written instructions or results unless I specifically requested them; I was very disappointed by this. Dr. Rhee is a great person to talk with, but I would have preferred to work with her through at least the first IUI. I never felt like I was getting the full treatment and was made to feel like I was the issue and that every error was somehow my fault or my husband's fault.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Request as many appointments/meetings with Dr. Rhee as you can. Ask her to give you all the details and if she can post them to the portal so you can have it on hand to refer back to.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
My husband and I felt like we were being marketed by our doctor to move through the process fast, which was expected because time is running out, but it felt like we were talking to a car salesman.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Haley)
Overall I liked Dr. Rhee a lot, but there were numerous incidents where Dr. Rhee's instructions didn't seem to align with that of the staff and nurses. It also felt like they weren't all communicating with each other. For instance, almost every time I went for my appointments I had to constantly remind them what I was there to do, or what I paid for or hadn't paid for, when my next appointment was scheduled, etc. A few times my nurse asked me about my discussions with Dr. Rhee - I typically threw it back to her and asked, "Didn't she follow up with you?" Haley told me she had, but I guess that was her way of communicating with me. It didn't feel professional. I would have preferred a more direct approach - aka - "I spoke with Dr. Rhee about your last discussion and here are the steps we are going to take." I did not like feeling like I was taking a pop quiz every time I talked with the nurses.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The clinic and staff were always very busy and seemed terribly overwhelmed. Not to mention, I was already so overwhelmed and couldn't believe I had to also be responsible for reminding the staff of what I needed. This was my first experience at a fertility clinic and I was still learning. I also realized I had to work hard to get information from anyone I came in contact with because the bedside manner was terrible. My husband and I are still technically with VIOS but are seriously considering starting over and going somewhere else. The first IUI attempt was screwed up by a scheduling issue because of VIOS. Since schedule and timing during a cycle is imperative to success, you would think they'd have a better call system. In this case, I called on Wednesday to let them know that I needed to schedule my IUI on Friday because it aligned with the appropriate cycle day. No one returned my call or even received my message!! It turns out that the message should have been forwarded to my nurse or Dr. Rhee but never was. I didn't call again b/c the automated phone answering service was all I ever got, so I waited. I never received a call. I finally got a hold of someone through the portal and scheduled an appointment on Monday knowing it was outside the cycle day range - but only because I wanted to talk to SOMONE, ANYONE, in person to see if I could still try the IUI and to let them know about the communication error that happened. I went into the clinic that next Monday and told my nurse (Haley) what happened; she apologized and asked if I still wanted to proceed with the IUI, even though I had missed the ideal cycle day! I asked my nurse what she recommended and if it would make sense to proceed even though the timing was off. Her advise was that the timing was not ideal, but that I could proceed if I want and that it was up to me to decide. Of course it's up to me, but I want a professional opinion, please! Hi, I'm new here. The whole situation made me feel like I was about to put $500 on Red at the roulette table. I decided to save my money for the next month so that I could go through the appropriate steps, with the right prescriptions, and the right timing. The next month was better, but not great. The IUI was unsuccessful, which we had anticipated b/c it was the first attempt and typically the first attempt has a high percentage to fail. The next month attempt was ramping up to be almost picture perfect - my body was responding well to the hormones, I had good follicle prospects, but on the day I went in for my IUI the nurses took me aside to inform me that my husband's sample did not contain any sperm. The IUI was a no go after all the appointments and hormones and stress. Rewind: My husband (so it turned out) had anemia, which we knew long before this particular IUI attempt, and had mentioned to our doctor and nurses casually that he had iron deficiency anemia and was seeing a doctor to figure out why. No one from VIOS mentioned or informed us that anemia can negatively affect male fertility. Luckily we did not have to pay for the IUI. After we pushed the concern to Dr. Rhee after the fact she referred my husband to a Urologist and we are currently on hold until we find out more. There was one nurse who was super helpful during this dreadful time, but unfortunately I can't remember her name. She wrote down the sperm level for me (which was not zero, but still very low) as well as my follicle count and sizes - which hadn't been clearly shared before other than a quick phone call.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Research prescriptions yourself - one prescription I had would have cost $900 if I chose to pick it up from a local walgreens. I researched it and found it was cheaper ($100) to have it delivered to my door.
Every Monitoring IUI cycle appointment was $200. Every baseline IUI cycle was $300. Over the course of 4 months, I was charged just over $1000, which included 2-3 months of monitoring and prescriptions and only 1 IUI procedure.
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost appointments
Provided conflicting information
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I had a few prescription errors - I'm not sure what happened or why but at least twice I went to pick up my prescriptions only to be told they had no record of them being called in. One of these incidents happened over the weekend and I called the on-call number for help. It went to voicemail and I left a message and luckily they returned my call that day to help with the issue.
She knew more about my body and came up with the perfect plan for both of my pregnancies. Everyone was always on the same page and I felt like I had a huge team by my side...If you are concerned about ANYTHING, she is always there to listen and talk you through options...[she] told me that she genuinely thought I could get pregnant with FSH injections. So this round, I took a higher dose of letrozol, started FSH injections, ended up taking more injectables that planned because my growth was still slow, but ended up pregnant
[our Vios Fertility nurse] always called me and sounded so positive! Even when the news was not ideal...Strengths: Organized, cheerful, amazingly intelligent, compassionate, prepared, good communicators, honest, hopeful, loving, patient and passionate about their work. Weaknesses: There are certain times of the day where they are the most busy but I don't mind waiting because I know they are helping so many other future moms and everyone deserves a chance to work with them!
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
From the moment I stepped foot in the office, I felt taken care of. Dr. Rhee told me to stop monitoring, measuring and worrying about tracking anything and said, "Don't worry...I got it from here" and she meant it. She knew more about my body and came up with the perfect plan for both of my pregnancies. Everyone was always on the same page and I felt like I had a huge team by my side. I love Dr. Rhee and without her, I wouldn't have my son or this perfect baby I am growing right now! Even when it got hard and the outcome was far from ideal, Dr. Rhee encouraged me to trust her and believe in the process and I did...now I am pregnant with my third :)
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Trust the process. Trust Dr. Rhee. She will create the perfect plan for you and you just have to take a leap of faith and go for it. She won't lead you astray and she will always advocate for you. If you are concerned about ANYTHING, she is always there to listen and talk you through options.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Every nurse and staff member in the office was kind, supportive, patient and knew me by name. My first time working with Dr. Rhee, she said, "Don't worry about a thing...you don't need to count or measure or monitor a thing...I will take care of it from here." I have never felt such a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. She and her team mean the world to me and have given me one perfect child and another on the way
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I came to Dr. Rhee to have a second child in 2018. Clomid had not worked like it did for my daughter and I was losing hope. We did all of the tests and baselines and she decided to try me on Letrozol with a trigger shot. At my first monitoring appointment, it looked like my follicles were moving slowly. Dr. Rhee told me to come back at the end of the week to see if there was any more growth and there was! I triggered that weekend and got pregnant with my son on that first cycle. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. In October of 2020, I went back to Dr. Rhee to try for our third child. We decided to repeat the the same process that worked with my son only this time, it was unsuccessful. I took more letrozole (same cycle) and had so many monitoring appointments but there was just not enough growth. I told Dr. Rhee I couldn't afford anymore and she said to go ahead and try to trigger just to see if I could ovulate. Unfortunately, I did not get pregnant that round. I was ready to give up because I had two perfect kids already. Dr. Rhee told me that she genuinely thought I could get pregnant with FSH injections. So this round, I took a higher dose of letrozol, started FSH injections, ended up taking more injectables that planned because my growth was still slow, but ended up pregnant! I am so glad I trusted her and went ahead for a second cycle! It was long but it worked!
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Andrea)
Andrea (at the O'Fallon office) was my hero. She always called me and sounded so positive! Even when the news was not ideal, I felt so connected to her that I just enjoyed hearing her voice! She and the rest of the staff at VIOS made me feel so safe and supported.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Strengths: Organized, cheerful, amazingly intelligent, compassionate, prepared, good communicators, honest, hopeful, loving, patient and passionate about their work.
Weaknesses: There are certain times of the day where they are the most busy but I don't mind waiting because I know they are helping so many other future moms and everyone deserves a chance to work with them!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
My insurance does not cover fertility treatments so this is what I paid:
Baseline = $300
Mid-cycle Monitoring = $200
Dr. Rhee is very hands-on, she really listens and does an extremely thorough diagnostic work up to rule out or understand what’s going on. She was aggressive with treatment which was good for us...She did not propose endless IUIs but had a 3-4 cycle plan...Each IUI was a different combination of injections/pills and each was progressively more aggressive. Since we had gone through endless IUIs with a previous doctor, emotionally I was done after 2 IUIs and she changed the plan and we went to IVF.
Vios is certainly not the cheapest in town, however after experiencing and hearing about other clinics in the area, I’m convinced my care there was top quality. Billing was easy, the patient portal is easy to navigate, and prices are straightforward...The nursing staff was wonderful and made me feel at home and relaxed through what can be awkward treatments at times
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee is very hands-on, she really listens and does an extremely thorough diagnostic work up to rule out or understand what’s going on. She was aggressive with treatment which was good for us - she was our second doctor so we were tired of waiting! She did not propose endless IUIs but had a 3-4 cycle plan. We would not have our sweet boy without her!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Worth the wait to get in! If you want a doctor who does not wait around or leave things to chance, Dr. Rhee is the doctor to go to.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee sat down and took the time to listen to us. Her staff members are all so empathetic - I shed a lot of tears through the process and they were always there for me. Dr. Rhee is wonderful and if we decide to use another embryo for a 3rd child she will be out first call.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
We had a 3 cycle IUI plan with optional 4th with gondotropins. Each IUI was a different combination of injections/pills and each was progressively more aggressive. Since we had gone through endless IUIs with a previous doctor, emotionally I was done after 2 IUIs and she changed the plan and we went to IVF. Glad we did it worked the first time!
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The nursing staff was wonderful and made me feel at home and relaxed through what can be awkward treatments at times
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Vios is certainly not the cheapest in town, however after experiencing and hearing about other clinics in the area, I’m convinced my care there was top quality. Billing was easy, the patient portal is easy to navigate, and prices are straightforward.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I was never interested in multiple but I don’t believe she was in favor of that either
Dr Rhee is awesome and she explains everything in the simplest way so that it is not hard to understand. Also I absolutely love her and would recommend her to anyone who is trying to conceive and having issues doing so...we are currently doing the work up process and aiming for August 2020 to do the procedure for egg retrieval and Invocell...I felt that she was very personable and that she wanted to answer all my questions and was giving me the treatment she would have wanted if the shoe was on the other foot.
I feel that they give the proper care [at Vios Fertility Institute]...I also feel that they respond to patient portal messages and phone calls in a timely fashion. I also love the personable the staff is and how the talk to you in way that is receptive and relatable. I love the office overall and I am glad that I became a patient to see me and my husband dreams of having a child together become a reality eventually.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr Rhee is awesome and she explains everything in the simplest way so that it is not hard to understand. Also I absolutely love her and would recommend her to anyone who is trying to conceive and having issues doing so.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
If you want quality care and don't want to be treated like a number or check then she is the person to see.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
I felt that she was very personable and that she wanted to answer all my questions and was giving me the treatment she would have wanted if the shoe was on the other foot.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
Right now we are currently doing the work up process and aiming for August 2020 to do the procedure for egg retrieval and Invocell. I am needing this grant to help pay for it as me and my husband do not have any kids and we would love to have at least one.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Sweet and fully educated on the protocols and able to answer any questions that me or my husband may have past and/or future
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The clinic is awesome I have nothing negative to say nor have I had a bad experience since becoming a patient. I feel that they give the proper care and that they give the care that they would want if it were the other way around. I also feel that they respond to patient portal messages and phone calls in a timely fashion. I also love the personable the staff is and how the talk to you in way that is receptive and relatable. I love the office overall and I am glad that I became a patient to see me and my husband dreams of having a child together become a reality eventually.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
It will cost 7,200 dollars to do the procedure
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
No comments she suggested what was best for me and I completely agreed.
Dr. Rhee was wonderful. She was honest and forthcoming with everything going on, good and bad...I got pregnant with my first frozen transfer. Unfortunately at my first scan it showed that I had a blighted ovum. Dr. Rhee, who I wasn’t even supposed to see that day came in and hugged me and showed me so much compassion...thought it was in my best interest to transfer only one embryo
All of the staff at Vios, from the doctors and nurses, down to the receptionists were all the nicest people...They always scheduled me as early as they could so I could get in, get out, and get back to work ASAP...we paid around 17,000 for one retrieval and one transfer. We paid 3,400 for Meds...When I had a question that I could use the portal for, they always answered very promptly
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Although I did not get the outcome I was hoping for, my overall experience with Dr. Rhee was wonderful. My husband and I were brand new to the IVF world, and she made sure to take the time to explain everything to where we completely understood. She remembered my name, what I did for work and was always so great and pleasant to me. I’ve had doctors before that couldn’t even remember my name when I’d see them in the hallway, but Dr. Rhee was always so very welcoming and sweet. I got pregnant with my first frozen transfer. Unfortunately at my first scan it showed that I had a blighted ovum. Dr. Rhee, who I wasn’t even supposed to see that day came in and hugged me and showed me so much compassion. She’s a gem of a human being.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Take her advice, she’s a smart, caring doctor that genuinely has her patients best interest at heart.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was wonderful. She was honest and forthcoming with everything going on, good and bad. She made me feel at ease in a time where I was the most scared and anxious that I have ever been.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I began birth control, and then a month later started Menopur, and follistim and ganirelix.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis.
All of the staff at Vios, from the doctors and nurses, down to the receptionists were all the nicest people. Always so caring and polite, which is great to be met with when you’re entering this scary process.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
So many strengths. Always very informative, and explains things to where I could understand my treatment. Always very warm and welcoming. All of my blood draws were completely painless. I was very rarely made to wait for any period of time, which was wonderful because I worked through all of my treatments. When I had a question that I could use the portal for, they always answered very promptly. I can’t think of a single thing I would change about Vios clinic.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I work 6am-2pm and monitoring appointments were between 7-10am. They always scheduled me as early as they could so I could get in, get out, and get back to work ASAP. They were very good at working with me on my work schedule.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I believe we paid around 17,000 for one retrieval and one transfer. We paid 3,400 for Meds because our insurance did not cover any of them.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
With my previous history of pregnancy loss, and a severe case of preeclampsia with my son 12 years ago, Dr. Rhee thought it was in my best interest to transfer only one embryo, and we agreed with her decision 100%.
Dr. Rhee has treated me with the most warming, caring, and understanding of how having a family of my own is very important to me. I could not ask for a better fertility doctor...is very caring, and understanding. She acknowledges the importance a woman feels of having her own child. She knew that I was very imminent about being able to experience motherhood on my own, and she was very considerate of how I felt.
Brittney [nurse at Vios Fertility Institute] was very compassionate and understanding of my situation. She was also very patient with me and my questions. She made me feel very comfortable and gave me confidence to be open with Dr. Rhee...Even though the location is kind of far from where my house is. I still make that travel with no hesitation because I know I will be in good hands. The strength of the staff and Dr. Rhee makes it worth the drive.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee is very caring, and understanding. She acknowledges the importance a woman feels of having her own child. She knew that I was very imminent about being able to experience motherhood on my own, and she was very considerate of how I felt.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Be open and honest with everything so she knows what your next plan of action should be. Do not be embarrassed because she is there to help you concur your goals.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee has treated me with the most warming, caring, and understanding of how having a family of my own is very important to me. I could not ask for a better fertility doctor.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
She initially put me on birth control because I was still sexually active, and this was explained to me that because my tubes were blocked but I was still ovulating my chances of getting pregnant in my tubes were very high, and this could cause a lot of harm to my process. At first, I was confused, but she explained her reasoning behind it and it made me understand the situation better.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Brittney)
Brittney was very compassionate and understanding of my situation. She was also very patient with me and my questions. She made me feel very comfortable and gave me confidence to be open with Dr. Rhee.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Even though the location is kind of far from where my house is. I still make that travel with no hesitation because I know I will be in good hands. The strength of the staff and Dr. Rhee makes it worth the drive.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Most of the cost has been billed to my health insurance, and I only pay my co-pay or deductible.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Dr. Rhee has great bedside manner. She took all the time we needed in making decisions and helped us make those decisions. She spent a lot of time explaining any and all treatments until we were comfortable moving forward. She provided with all options and was upfront with us yey also very caring. ... She had an idea and options and helped us through them providing us with any and all informatiom needed to make decisions. I truly feel like she has cared throughout my entire time coming to Vios.
I never felt like just a number at Vios. Ever ... Insurance was my biggest hurdle. I have 2 insurance coverages and that seemed to make things difficult for some reason in the billing/financial dept. I did have someone reach out and i feel like she took care of the issues. ... Although we had aron of things deter our procedure, insurance was my biggest obstacle with Vios which is/was a business/financial dept issue.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Every time i met with Dr. Rhee she came in prepared and knew about my husband and my background prior to coming for any appointment. She had an idea and options and helped us through them providing us with any and all informatiom needed to make decisions. I truly feel like she has cared throughout my entire time coming to Vios.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Ask questions. Even if you think theyre silly! Preface with this might sound silly but...if you want, but ask! Although we had aron of things deter our procedure, insurance was my biggest obstacle with Vios which is/was a business/financial dept issue. Any bump we ran into reagrfing our treatments and procedures Dr. Rhee helped us through until we felt confident moving forward.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee has great bedside manner. She took all the time we needed in making decisions and helped us make those decisions. She spent a lot of time explaining any and all treatments until we were comfortable moving forward. She provided with all options and was upfront with us yey also very caring. I never felt like just a number at Vios. Ever
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
She used low dose flare protocol with ovidrel. She retrieved 2x the amount of eggs as my first RE.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Insurance was my biggest hurdle. I have 2 insurance coverages and that seemed to make things difficult for some reason in the billing/financial dept. I did have someone reach out and i feel like she took care of the issues.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We transferred 1 because we only had 1 come back normal from pgs testing. But if we had had more, i believe she wouldnt have transferred more due to my being 35yo. However, we never discussed in detail because it wasnt an option for us; therefore, thats not to say she wouldnt have transferred multiples.
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
I rarely saw her [Dr. Julie Rhee], I usually dealt with the nurses...Sometimes I felt like everything was very overwhelming and information didn't get passed down how I should have been. But since I didn't really deal with Dr. Rhee I feel like I can't really judge it based on her...Make sure you ask specific questions and know exactly what you need. Alot of times I felt rushed and left feeling like I was overwhelmed and didn't have all the information I needed or wanted.
I felt like they [nurses at Vios Fertility Institute] were too busy. I always felt rushed. When i first started treatment, I was alone and it was very difficult to listen to the nurses in the meetings and i always felt like we didn't have time to talk...They never told me how many vials of sperm I should have ordered. They only had me order 1 vial and later when i needed to order more that donor was no longer available. They told me I only needed 1 vial, when i was in the middle of stims for my 2nd retrieval they told me I needed more sperm.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Its hard to say since i dealt mostly with the nurses. Sometimes I felt like everything was very overwhelming and information didn't get passed down how I should have been. But since I didn't really deal with Dr. Rhee I feel like I can't really judge it based on her.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Make sure you ask specific questions and know exactly what you need. Alot of times I felt rushed and left feeling like I was overwhelmed and didn't have all the information I needed or wanted.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
I rarely saw her, I usually dealt with the nurses.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I really don't remember the protocol.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I felt like they were too busy. I always felt rushed. When i first started treatment, I was alone and it was very difficult to listen to the nurses in the meetings and i always felt like we didn't have time to talk. I liked the second nurse I had much better (wish I could remember their names).
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
I think the online system could be updated to be more user friendly. I should be able to upload documents easily. The clinic is friendly. They are a very busy clinic. I am glad they opened up another clinic in the area to help with the overloaded staff.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I don't exactly know. I had insurance that I paid $435/month for. In 1 year for 4 egg retrievals, I paid about $25,000 out of pocket. There seemed to be alot of hidden charges that would just come up randomly. Not all medication were covered under insurance and were expensive.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
My age determined if I wanted to transfer 1 or 2
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Failed to consider drug intolerance
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
They never told me how many vials of sperm I should have ordered. They only had me order 1 vial and later when i needed to order more that donor was no longer available. They told me I only needed 1 vial, when i was in the middle of stims for my 2nd retrieval they told me I needed more sperm. But then I needed to find a whole new donor because my donor was no longer available. It was very irritating. If anything they should have checked before stims that I needed more sperm!!! I had to make rash decisions which were bad decisions. I was very upset about this! Also, I ended up using my BF at the time as my partner (my rash decision) and they also never stated that if we broke up that I would have to take him to court to get those embroys. The paper work we signed stated that I get those embroys if the relationship dissolved. I was very unhappy about that!!! I Should almost get some reimbursement for those embryos that I don't get now!
Dr. Rhee was amazing. We didn’t know that I had diminished ovarian reserve when we started with her. She took time to explain realistically what we should expect. She was optimistic for our outcome...I did low dose FSH over a longer period of time since I have finished ovarian reserve. They wanted my follicles to grow slowly so if there were any more that would grow they would have time.
Testing in the morning [at Vios Fertility Institute] fills up quickly and they ran late a lot so be prepared for work purposes. They run very well. Good communication between nurses and physicians. They are getting ready to move offices so I think that will be helpful to not be in the hospital...Nurses were great. Always answering emails/ calls quickly.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was amazing. We didn’t know that I had diminished ovarian reserve when we started with her. She took time to explain realistically what we should expect. She was optimistic for our outcome. We knew we would only get 1-3 follicles and hoped to get at least 1 mature egg. We were lucky/blessed to have three mature eggs.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Ask every question to you. Dr. Rhee was great at explaining everything and she is the expert.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
My husband and I both had issues and Dr. Rhee really took time to explain to us our chances and how our cycle would go. We knew what to expect and it went exactly as planned.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I did low dose FSH over a longer period of time since I have finished ovarian reserve. They wanted my follicles to grow slowly so if there were any more that would grow they would have time.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Nurses were great. Always answering emails/ calls quickly. Since I had low AMH at one point one of the nurses asked if I wanted to switch to IUI. We also have male factor and IUI wouldn’t work for us - per Dr. Rhee- so it was frustrating and I actually cried a lot because I didn’t think the nurse was on top of our specific case like Dr. Rhee was.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Testing in the morning fills up quickly and they ran late a lot so be prepared for work purposes. They run very well. Good communication between nurses and physicians. They are getting ready to move offices so I think that will be helpful to not be in the hospital.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
$14000 for IVF And one transfer- including testing till positive pregnancy confirmed.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We had the option to do either- dr. Rhee let it be our decision. We only had one embryo so our choice was made by our bodies.
Dr Rhee is very sweet and listens to all of my needs, worries, and questions.... She is very knowledgeable. She had answers to all of my questions. I had a health scare after having my last son which resulted in an emergency partial hysterectomy. I am now more aware of risks and want to know all of the what if’s. Dr. Rhee was very compassionate to my situation which made me feel like I wasn’t just a number... I started by taking estradiol until my levels
They [Vios Fertility Institute] are very friendly. Their schedule is sort of difficult to get on. So book in advance. You will have daily appointments at part of the monitoring process. They have snacks and coffee in the office which is nice when you are on the run.... My husbands fda test orders were supposed to have been sent to the lab electronically. When he got there they didn’t have his orders. Finally they figured it out, but then the lab was closed. The lab he was at didn’t have an updated operating system
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
She is very knowledgeable. She had answers to all of my questions. I had a health scare after having my last son which resulted in an emergency partial hysterectomy. I am now more aware of risks and want to know all of the what if’s. Dr. Rhee was very compassionate to my situation which made me feel like I wasn’t just a number. She is also very sweet. She made me feel very comfortable to ask her anything.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Make a consultation with her because you love her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr Rhee is very sweet and listens to all of my needs, worries, and questions.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I started by taking estradiol until my levels were ready to start injections. I started with nightly injections of 150 units of menopur and 225 units of follistim. I had several visits to have my bloodwork monitored and to have an internal ultrasound done of my ovaries. After a few days I added a ganarelix injection in the morning. I did this routine for 11 days. On day 12 I did a trigger shot of novarrel 10000 units, 450 units of follistim, and I started a z-pack. Then 2 days later (36 hours) I had my egg retrieval done. This resulted in 11 follicles retrieved. Of the 11, 8 were mature and 7 fertilized. We have a few more days to know how many made it to day 5 blastocysts.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Meghan jones)
I communicated with Meghan several times through email. I feel like she was not on top of things. There were instances were orders were not received. I also feel like she just gave me a list of things that needed to get done before the egg retrieval, but they were not patient specific to me in the time that they needed to be completed. For example we are using a gestational carrier, but only if we end up with girl embryos. She had us to do all of the testing months ago which will most likely have to be done again before transfer. However, the nurses in the office are amazing. They are super friendly and helpful. They gave me confidence in all the injections I gave and they let me know that someone is always on call if I had any questions.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
They are very friendly. Their schedule is sort of difficult to get on. So book in advance. You will have daily appointments at part of the monitoring process. They have snacks and coffee in the office which is nice when you are on the run. They have an office in St. Louis and one in Swansea Illinois.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Retrieval 8,600
Transfer 3,500
Meds just for retrieval 5,000
Consult 300
Fda costs 500 per person involved
Pgs close to 9000
Psych eval for my husband and I and carrier and husband a little over 2000
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
My husbands fda test orders were supposed to have been sent to the lab electronically. When he got there they didn’t have his orders. Finally they figured it out, but then the lab was closed. The lab he was at didn’t have an updated operating system so it could not receive orders as they were sent. However, the nurse coordinator knew what lab he was going to. Also I went to pick up my estradiol prescription at Walgreens and it wasn’t there. They didn’t have the order. When I called they said it for some reason the computer didn’t send it. I was also supposed to get a phone call based on my bloodwork to let me know if I should start the estradiol prescription on Friday and no one called.
Dr. Rhee was very thorough. In work up she tested for things that my previous fertility clinic didn’t even mention and ended up discovering a few small factors that could be contributing to my infertility. She did regular retesting to make sure the treatment for those was working. She also had a much more involved IUI protocol than previous doctor which made me feel like everything was being done to ensure the highest chance of success. While I don’t see her at every visit, when she sees me in the clinic she recognizes me and makes me feel like i matter as a person.
[Vios Fertility Institute's] Strengths: thorough from front desk to insurance coordinator and nurses and doctors. Office is honey and comfortable. It takes the edge off. Weaknesses: there have been a couple of communication issues that caused problems during our work up. Dr. Rhee addressed those with me personally and it was fine but I’ve found I need to be diligent about communicating my issues and expectations clearly.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was very thorough. In work up she tested for things that my previous fertility clinic didn’t even mention and ended up discovering a few small factors that could be contributing to my infertility. She did regular retesting to make sure the treatment for those was working. She also had a much more involved IUI protocol than previous doctor which made me feel like everything was being done to ensure the highest chance of success. While I don’t see her at every visit, when she sees me in the clinic she recognizes me and makes me feel like i matter as a person.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Be prepared for a thorough investigation of your health / work up. Also, Dr. Rhee is very professional and straight forward so expect honest, blunt information in your consultations with her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee took ample amount of time during our consultation to go over her professional opinion in detail and answer all of our questions and concerns. I felt like her assessment and treatment plan for us was based on our personal history and not ‘this is just what we do’
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
We have only done 1 IUI. CD 3 baseline with labs and ultrasound. CD 3-5, letrozole 5mg. CD 10 monitoring with labs and ultrasound. Based on my labs and ultrasound, I was informed to trigger on the evening of CD 10 and come in for IUI on CD 12. No post-IUI progesterone due to previous issues with this. Will do an in office pg test 2 weeks after IUI
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
There are several nurses I interact with. They are all very caring and have always worked to find the answers to my questions or address my concerns. A nurse did the actual IUI procedure and she seemed very knowledgeable and competent and I felt confident in the procedure. She stayed as long as she needed to afterwards to answer all of my questions.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Strengths: thorough from front desk to insurance coordinator and nurses and doctors. Office is honey and comfortable. It takes the edge off.
Weaknesses: there have been a couple of communication issues that caused problems during our work up. Dr. Rhee addressed those with me personally and it was fine but I’ve found I need to be diligent about communicating my issues and expectations clearly.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
IUI 1200 diagnostics all covered by insurance so not sure. Genetic carrier screening $99 self pay if insurance doesn’t cover.
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
When we arrived for the consultation, our initial paperwork had been misplaced. We had to resend while in the consultation. When I called to schedule baseline (day 3) appointment, the scheduler put my appointment in a day early (scheduling it for a time that happened before I had even called to schedule) than requested so when I arrived I wasn’t scheduled for an appointment. They quickly adjusted and made sure I was seen. There were also miscommunications about different things I was being tested for so I ended up getting results back for things I didn’t know I needed to expect. This issue was addressed thoroughly though and I feel communication is improving.
Dr. Rhee was knowledgeable, but concise...after conceiving and determining our pregnancy was healthy, she did seem genuinely happy for us. However, due to having a limited number of interactions actually with her, it is hard to go much further in depth than that...We were lucky to have success with only 1 IUI cycle! I had a total of 2 transvaginal ultrasounds and baseline bloodwork prior to IUI to determine when follicles and hormones were ready. I was on femara for 5 days and took a trigger shot to trigger ovulation when my follicles were at the size that the doctor desired - 36 hours prior to IUI.
The strengths of this clinic [Vios Fertility Institute] is after your initial appointment, you can make other appointments very quickly. We decided we were going to do IUI and got in just a few days later to start treatment toward it. There was no "you have to wait until next cycle because we do not have any open appointments". However, possibly due to this, appointments were rarely on time. On 3 occasions, we waited more than an hour for our appointment, but most frequently they ran about 20-30 minutes behind. There were occasionally appointments that were right on time, but this was more of a rarity.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was knowledgeable, but concise. Before leaving Vios, after conceiving and determining our pregnancy was healthy, she did seem genuinely happy for us. However, due to having a limited number of interactions actually with her, it is hard to go much further in depth than that.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
That you will have many more interactions with the nurses and other staff than with Dr. Rhee.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
At times, the office would be extremely busy, which led to moments of feeling like a number. However, when not busy, I felt I was treated like a human.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
We were lucky to have success with only 1 IUI cycle! I had a total of 2 transvaginal ultrasounds and baseline bloodwork prior to IUI to determine when follicles and hormones were ready. I was on femara for 5 days and took a trigger shot to trigger ovulation when my follicles were at the size that the doctor desired - 36 hours prior to IUI.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I came into contact with the nursing staff most often. They were definitely caring and encouraging along the way - whether that be in person, over the phone, or via portal messages. When my insurance gave me trouble with a prescription, they took steps to make sure it was approved and/or changed the medication brand, which saved me an incredible amount of money on prescriptions.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The strengths of this clinic is after your initial appointment, you can make other appointments very quickly. We decided we were going to do IUI and got in just a few days later to start treatment toward it. There was no "you have to wait until next cycle because we do not have any open appointments". However, possibly due to this, appointments were rarely on time. On 3 occasions, we waited more than an hour for our appointment, but most frequently they ran about 20-30 minutes behind. There were occasionally appointments that were right on time, but this was more of a rarity.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
For all the testing, we paid about $1,200 with insurance coverage, including copays. For IUI, we paid $1200, which included all testing, IUI, and pregnancy check, but did not include prescriptions. All prescriptions prior to pregnancy cost about $250, with some being covered by insurance and others not being covered.
My husband and I felt like we were Dr. Rhee’s only patient...treated us with patience, kindness, and humor...She took her time checking in with my husband and I and explaining everything to us. She never seemed rushed nor did we ever feel rushed. When treatments had to be changed mid-course she was compassionate and honest with us... We also gentic tested both my husband and myself. For IVF we did the normal monitoring (ultrasounds/bloodwork). Our fresh transfer resulted in a chemical pregnancy. To prepare for our frozen transfer we did a hydrosaline sonohystogram a few weeks before transfer. We transferred 2 embryos and are expecting twin girls in September.
staff, especially our nurse Meredith, treated us with patience, kindness, and humor. They always remembered every detail of every conversation we had and were quick with responding to all emails and questions. We can’t say enough good things about the Vios Team!...office is warm and comforting. The whole staff always greeted you with a smile and made you feel at ease. It’s like one big family. Both the St. Louis and Swansea office were lovely. The only weakness is it’s hard to get a hold of someone directly. You almost always have to leave a message but that isn’t really a big deal because they are so quick to get back to you.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was amazing. She took her time checking in with my husband and I and explaining everything to us. She never seemed rushed nor did we ever feel rushed. When treatments had to be changed mid-course she was compassionate and honest with us. I highly recommend Dr. Rhee!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
You will be very happy with Dr. Rhee. She is compassionate and honest so don’t hesitate to ask questions (all of them)!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
My husband and I felt like we were Dr. Rhee’s only patient. She and her staff, especially our nurse Meredith, treated us with patience, kindness, and humor. They always remembered every detail of every conversation we had and were quick with responding to all emails and questions. We can’t say enough good things about the Vios Team!
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
For IVF and our fresh transfer we started with ultrasounds and blood work. We also gentic tested both my husband and myself. For IVF we did the normal monitoring (ultrasounds/bloodwork). Our fresh transfer resulted in a chemical pregnancy. To prepare for our frozen transfer we did a hydrosaline sonohystogram a few weeks before transfer. We transferred 2 embryos and are expecting twin girls in September.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Meredith )
I can’t sing Meredith’s praises enough! She was reliable and quick to respond to all emails and phone calls. Meredith made me feel so comfortable and trusting of the process. Meredith is amazing!
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The Vios office is warm and comforting. The whole staff always greeted you with a smile and made you feel at ease. It’s like one big family. Both the St. Louis and Swansea office were lovely. The only weakness is it’s hard to get a hold of someone directly. You almost always have to leave a message but that isn’t really a big deal because they are so quick to get back to you.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We are very lucky and our insurance covered a big chunk of our treatment. I can’t remember the specifics but my best guess would be $3000
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I would say Dr. Rhee prefers to transfer one embryo but was very open to us transferring two. She was honest about the risks of twin (multiples) pregnancy.
When seeking out a Fertility Specialist I was looking for a young, knowledgeable, and kind doctor. Julie Rhee is just that. She is positive, but also upfront with her findings and opinions. I feel as though she asks an appropriate amount of questions and is an active listener when I am speaking to her.... Dr. Rhee put me on Letrozole days 3-7 of my cycle to get my follicles to mature. On day 10 of my cycle I went back in to get bloodwork and to have a saline ultrasound. This was to check my uterus for polyps/fibroids/abnormalities
I know it is impossible for every nurse/coordinator/tech to know the up-to-date details about my care. I had to correct the receptionist [at Vios Fertility Institute] about an appointment date. It wasn't a huge deal, but I feel like it's not something that should happen as certain dates/cycle days are crucial for fertility treatment.... Strengths: Friendly, knowledgeable, compassionate, clean office space, easy to locate Weaknesses: could work on organization/communication
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
When seeking out a Fertility Specialist I was looking for a young, knowledgeable, and kind doctor. Julie Rhee is just that. She is positive, but also upfront with her findings and opinions. I feel as though she asks an appropriate amount of questions and is an active listener when I am speaking to her.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
I was able to have A LOT of testing done with my gynecologist before seeing Dr. Rhee. Like Ultrasound, bloodwork, an HSG, and my husband had a semen analysis. Having all of this testing completed before seeing Julie Rhee was so beneficial for us. She was able to look at our results and we had a plan of action whenever I left my very first appointment with her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
All of the staff at Vios-STL is very friendly and welcoming.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
On day 3 of my cycle, I had bloodwork and my baseline ultrasound (follicles and lining looked as they should on day 3) . Dr. Rhee put me on Letrozole days 3-7 of my cycle to get my follicles to mature. On day 10 of my cycle I went back in to get bloodwork and to have a saline ultrasound. This was to check my uterus for polyps/fibroids/abnormalities. (It all came back perfect!) On cycle day 11 my husband gave me an Ovidrel shot in my stomach and on day 13 the IUI was done in office. Right now (3/5/18) I am in my tww following the IUI.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The nurses are knowledgeable. I feel like there could be a bit more organization within the office.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Strengths: Friendly, knowledgeable, compassionate, clean office space, easy to locate
Weaknesses: could work on organization/communication
With that being said though I would without a doubt refer a friend to this clinic
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
My consultation appointment was $300. My initial bloodwork/US are still pending with insurance. But for the IUI, it was $1200 out of pocket, as our insurance pays $0. The Ovidrel shot was around $120.
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I know it is impossible for every nurse/coordinator/tech to know the up-to-date details about my care. I had to correct the receptionist about an appointment date. It wasn't a huge deal, but I feel like it's not something that should happen as certain dates/cycle days are crucial for fertility treatment.
She [Dr. Julie Rhee] really got to know us as a couple and took time to help us...She was the third doctor we went to for fertility treatment. She was the first one to actually get to know us and help us get pregnant. She answered every single question we had and explained everything to us at each visit. We found out through another doctor that my husband’s sperm count was very high but not many of them were actually “good”. What Dr.Rhee found out was that I actually had a very low egg count for my age (24). Which we had no clue about.
We absolutely loved the staff [at Vios Fertility Institute] and how they treated us. They had compassion and helped us so much through the process...I loved the look of the clinic and the payment options they provided us with. They are in a location away from an OB office and a children’s doctors office. They have relaxing vibes throughout the clinic as well...office workers were so sweet and helpful. The office itself as relaxing and felt more like a home instead of a hospital. She really got to know us as a couple and took time to help us.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
She was the third doctor we went to for fertility treatment. She was the first one to actually get to know us and help us get pregnant. She answered every single question we had and explained everything to us at each visit. We found out through another doctor that my husband’s sperm count was very high but not many of them were actually “good”. What Dr.Rhee found out was that I actually had a very low egg count for my age (24). Which we had no clue about. After a couple consultations she went in and checked my tubes and found some minor scar tissue from an accident I had and cleared it out. After that she told us that our best chance of getting pregnant would be to do IVF because they could not tell why exactly we weren’t getting pregnant. We had some minor issues but nothing that would cause us to never get pregnant. She said that if she could control majority of the process then our chance of getting pregnant would be high. We decided to start the IVF process the next month. When I was supposed to start my medications we found out the price of my medicine was going to be on the very high side and we decided not to go forth with the cycle and just take some time to think about it. We actually got pregnant at home with timed intercourse as Dr.Rhee told us to do because it couldn’t hurt to keep trying at home and now we have a 4 month baby boy! Since sharing my story on social media several of my friends have reached out to me and are seeing Dr.Rhee because I recommend them to her. We are very thankful for everything her and her office did to help us.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Have hope and trust her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Her office workers were so sweet and helpful. The office itself as relaxing and felt more like a home instead of a hospital. She really got to know us as a couple and took time to help us.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
We never went through a cycle with her so I can’t help on this part.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We absolutely loved the staff and how they treated us. They had compassion and helped us so much through the process.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
I loved the look of the clinic and the payment options they provided us with. They are in a location away from an OB office and a children’s doctors office. They have relaxing vibes throughout the clinic as well.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I would say she wasn’t the cheapest but wasn’t the most expensive Dr. either.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Dr. Rhee was was very caring and spent an hour with us in each consultation. She made sure we knew the pros and cons of each option (IUI or IVF). She explained the tests that would be run and made me feel at ease...My first round of tests were diagnostic blood work and ultrasounds. she then ordered a saline ultrasound. I was a nervous wreck for the saline ultrasound, but Dr. Rhee talked to me through the exam so I knew what to expect. I start my baseline testing for our first IVF cycle next Friday. I have a tentative calendar of events for that cycle but can not elaborate at this time as it is in progress.
I think all of the employees [at Vios Fertility Institute] are very compassionate about their patients and jobs. They are excellent listeners. The weakness would just be the organizational aspect. I have been passed around a few times when I call about tests or my prior auth...After my first appointment I felt like the team was a little disorganized in providing responses to my question. Once I decided on IVF, I spoke with an IVF nurse who was so nice and caring. She walked me through the next series of events. I have not started yet (start next Friday) but as long as I have this nurse in my corner I feel comfortable.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee was was very caring and spent an hour with us in each consultation. She made sure we knew the pros and cons of each option (IUI or IVF). She explained the tests that would be run and made me feel at ease.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
None
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
My first round of tests were diagnostic blood work and ultrasounds. she then ordered a saline ultrasound. I was a nervous wreck for the saline ultrasound, but Dr. Rhee talked to me through the exam so I knew what to expect. I start my baseline testing for our first IVF cycle next Friday. I have a tentative calendar of events for that cycle but can not elaborate at this time as it is in progress.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
After my first appointment I felt like the team was a little disorganized in providing responses to my question. Once I decided on IVF, I spoke with an IVF nurse who was so nice and caring. She walked me through the next series of events. I have not started yet (start next Friday) but as long as I have this nurse in my corner I feel comfortable.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
I think all of the employees are very compassionate about their patients and jobs. They are excellent listeners. The weakness would just be the organizational aspect. I have been passed around a few times when I call about tests or my prior auth.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I am still in progress so not sure how much overall cost of IVF will be. My insurance covers a chunk of the procedure, but we are estimating roughly $7k to be the amount owed by us.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Dr. Rhee suggests transferring one embryo. Due to my size she said multiples would put me as high risk and she wants to avoid that if possible.
Dr. Rhee's strengths are her extensive blood workup, communicating effectively, listening attentively, gives options to various problems a person may have. Things that I wish more of Dr. Rhee. Doing a follow up after certain amount of failed IUIs, have her do the IUIs in the clinic, and say how much everything may cost upfront after baseline blood work is done for certain procedures... They would have to jump start ovulation for me. They would induce a period which they gave me Estradiol, then after that with careful timing and uterine ultrasounds would have me take Progesterone and if and once ovulation occurred told me which day to take my trigger shot for Ovidrel with a specific time.
The nurses at Dr. Rhee's office [Vios Fertility] are compassionate, more than willing to help or explain what is taking place in your course of treatment. I would say for the most part they are fairly prompt about getting back to you. Nurse Meredith is the best. She's definitely in tune with patients. Overall, great nurses. They had one nurse who worked there that came off as quite the salesman for pulling out a loan so you can afford IVF. We were already shocked from the financial counseling right off the bat for our particular case and it was poor timing to deliver that idea and to try to sell sell sell us on something that we made clear was not for us.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee's strengths are her extensive blood workup, communicating effectively, listening attentively, gives options to various problems a person may have. Things that I wish more of Dr. Rhee. Doing a follow up after certain amount of failed IUIs, have her do the IUIs in the clinic, and say how much everything may cost upfront after baseline blood work is done for certain procedures.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
If you have any medical concerns that you think might hinder you from getting pregnant, do not hesitate to ask Dr. Rhee.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
I expressed to Dr. Rhee how hard it already was for me having difficulty with an incurable disease and having trouble getting pregnant as well. She was attentive and has a soothing demeanor about everything I was going through. She genuinely cares about her patients and wants the best for them. She explains things thoroughly and doesn't mind clarifying anything that didn't quite make sense as she was explaining medical terminology.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
They would have to jump start ovulation for me. They would induce a period which they gave me Estradiol, then after that with careful timing and uterine ultrasounds would have me take Progesterone and if and once ovulation occurred told me which day to take my trigger shot for Ovidrel with a specific time. After I gave myself the trigger shot, they had me come in for the IUI procedure. I laid down for a short while and then I went about my day as normally as instructed. After a couple weeks they check your blood work to see if your pregnant. They can usually give you results the same day if you do early labs.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The nurses at Dr. Rhee's office are compassionate, more than willing to help or explain what is taking place in your course of treatment. I would say for the most part they are fairly prompt about getting back to you. Nurse Meredith is the best. She's definitely in tune with patients. Overall, great nurses. They had one nurse who worked there that came off as quite the salesman for pulling out a loan so you can afford IVF. We were already shocked from the financial counseling right off the bat for our particular case and it was poor timing to deliver that idea and to try to sell sell sell us on something that we made clear was not for us.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The strengths with this clinic is they make you feel right at home, they make an effort to remember your name, staff is most of the time on top of their game with communication and relaying messages. Dr. Rhee is highly educated and has had high success rates and gets down to the bottom of what might be hindering you from getting pregnant. If good bedside manners matter to you, this clinic is for sure for you. Make sure to be vocal if you haven't heard back from someone from the office, be assertive after a few days to figure out whatever information you need from the office.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
IUI cost 5000 per IUI. Ovidrel 100. estradoil est 30, progesterone 20, IVF is 10000 I believe. That's not including the medication anywhere between 5000 to 8000 and anesthesia 2500, and egg freezing 2000 (not so sure exact cost for freezing, it is priced for 8 eggs).
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
If I was going to have IVF Dr. Rhee had told us they retrieve a certain number of eggs and what are vital you can freeze which it costs to freeze on a yearly bases.
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
They had scheduled for an appointment on two separate occasions and they didn't have me down in the system for an appointment which caused me to be late to getting back to my day. Some of the nurses forgot to tell me a part of my treatment plan and would call back later and clarify. On one occasion a nurse had called just in time so I didn't take the wrong medicine for treatment, to actually say, I needed another kind for this particular cycle and to take a different medication instead.
She had taken the time to thoroughly review my history and had an individualized plan to present at our first meeting...She is approachable and is an excellent listener...Dr. Rhee is a brilliant but down to earth physician. She is easily approachable and communicates well..Her approach is thoughtful and individualized. I was interested in some testing that was not standard of care, and I was impressed by her openness to review the relevant medical literature, contact the primary investigator of the study, and facilitate testing after it was determined that I was an appropriate candidate. It may have turned out that the testing and treatment for this condition tipped the balance towards favoring embryo implantation at my next transfer. I always felt like I understood the plan and that I was an important member of the team. I felt supported during my treatment and that my outcome mattered deeply to Dr Rhee. She was optimistic but never sugar coated my results.
[Vios] Strengths: Easy to communicate with the nurse....Easy to schedule monitoring appointments. I never waited long for bloodwork...Weakness: Still having a billing issue with the office, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the care I received. Currently the set up is that all retrievals, transfers, and weekend monitoring is done in Swansea, IL, which is not too far away but less convenient than their St. Louis location. Other: If you are not getting a call back right away, send an email, you may get a faster response.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee is a brilliant but down to earth physician. She is easily approachable and communicates well. I was given her email address and used it sparingly, but it was very reassuring that I could send an email at any time if I needed to. Her approach is thoughtful and individualized. I was interested in some testing that was not standard of care, and I was impressed by her openness to review the relevant medical literature, contact the primary investigator of the study, and facilitate testing after it was determined that I was an appropriate candidate. It may have turned out that the testing and treatment for this condition tipped the balance towards favoring embryo implantation at my next transfer. I always felt like I understood the plan and that I was an important member of the team. I felt supported during my treatment and that my outcome mattered deeply to Dr Rhee. She was optimistic but never sugar coated my results.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Trust her. Dr. Rhee has your back.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
From the moment I met Dr. Rhee, I knew she saw me as a person. She had taken the time to thoroughly review my history and had an individualized plan to present at our first meeting. Dr. Rhee always greeted me warmly and asked how I am doing at each visit, especially if the visit was a difficult one where the results were not trending in the direction we hoped. She is approachable and is an excellent listener.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
Saline US: 1 adhesion found.
Hysteroscopy: adhesion take down, scar tissue cleaned up from previous misscarriage
HSG completed: normal
Letrozole IUI X 3: Rational: PCOS, needed some help stimulating ovulation; mild male factor. Letrozole resulted in thin lining that did not respond to estrogen supplementation. All 3 IUI were negative.
Stim cycle: Antagonist Protocol due to PCOS with Lupron, Gonal-F, and Menopur. HCG trigger. Prophylactic Cabergoline to prevent OHSS.
Egg Retrieval: Freeze All. 17 eggs retrieved, 14 fertilized with ICSI, 11 day 3 embryos, 5 blastocysts sent for PGS testing. 3 euploid embryos.
Frozen Transfer #1: Required escalating doses of estrogen patches that were not effective in thickening lining. Added Menopur injections which did the trick. Transferred after 5 days of IM Progesterone: Negative.
Endometrial biopsies sent to evaluate for reasons while embryo may not have implanted (at my request). No chronic endometritis. Beta-3-Integrin absent. This is a cell adhesion molecule.
Monthly Lupron Depot X 3 injections
Mock Transfer Cycle #1 for ERA with letrozole and Menopur: Lining too thin, aborted cycle.
Mock Transfer Cycle #2 for ERA: modified natural to let my own gonadotropins grow my lining instead. Endometrial biopsies performed at day 5 and day 7 of IM Progesterone and sent for ERA (Igenomix). Results: Window of implantation best at 6 full days of progesterone.
Frozen Embryo Transfer # 2: Modified Natural Cycle FET with 6 full days of IM progesterone prior to transfer. Result: Currently pregnant in second trimester.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Meredith)
Meredith is incredible. She is extremely organized and always called when she said she would. She answered emails much faster than I thought was necessary. I know she is up answering emails at 10pm after her kids are in bed. If she did not know the answer to my question, she would immediately ask Dr. Rhee and then get back to me with Dr Rhee's response.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Strengths: Easy to communicate with the nurse. I almost never needed to email Dr. Rhee herself as I felt like Meredith addressed any concerns or questions I had right away. Easy to schedule monitoring appointments. I never waited long for bloodwork or US. Compassionate people who are invested in the quality of care they provide.
Weakness: Still having a billing issue with the office, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the care I received. Currently the set up is that all retrievals, transfers, and weekend monitoring is done in Swansea, IL, which is not too far away but less convenient than their St. Louis location.
Other: If you are not getting a call back right away, send an email, you may get a faster response.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Freeze all IVF cycle: $12,500.
FET: $2,900.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Dr. Rhee was okay with 1-2 embryos. I strongly desired eSET and she was supportive.
She was always very patient with my husband and I, taking the time to carefully explain everything and always was there to answer our questions. I felt that she really tried to do what was best for us physically, mentally and financially...The course of treatment was always communicated clearly and I felt that I knew what to expect. When we had set backs, she was patient with us and adjusted the plan...
Everyone at Vios that we interacted with was truly exceptional...Meredith, was always available to answer any calls or questions I had. Even on the weekends, she got back to me quickly. Chris the phlotobemist was also wonderful. She did the best blood draws and always made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I really felt that they all cared. They were always and empathetic and patient with my husband and I. They definitely made this difficult process much easier.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee had a great bedside manner. When we first went to see her, she did her due diligence by testing both my husband and I myself, came up with treatment solutions, explained all of them and left it up to us to decide. The course of treatment was always communicated clearly and I felt that I knew what to expect. When we had set backs, she was patient with us and adjusted the plan.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Be patient. The entire process is hard and can take time, but it does work. Do not lose faith.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
She was always very patient with my husband and I, taking the time to carefully explain everything and always was there to answer our questions. I felt that she really tried to do what was best for us physically, mentally and financially.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
My husband and I decided that IVF would be the best plan to help us get pregnant. The process was carefully explained to us before we started and when we were going through it, i was constantly monitored and my meds/dosage were often adjusted to make sure everything was optimal. While there was a schedule to follow, Dr. Rhee explained that everyone responds differently and adjustments are made. I am so glad they carefully monitored me. I was able to get 12 eggs from retrieval and 5 were able to be fertilized and frozen. Our fresh transfer was unsuccessful, but since we had quality embryos, we were able to jump into a frozen transfer very quickly after the failure with the fresh. The frozen transfer worked and I am now pregnant into my second trimester.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Meredith Woody)
All of the nurses at Vios were wonderful. Meredith, was always available to answer any calls or questions I had. Even on the weekends, she got back to me quickly. Chris the phlotobemist was also wonderful. She did the best blood draws and always made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I really felt that they all cared. They were always and empathetic and patient with my husband and I. They definitely made this difficult process much easier.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Dr. Rhee and her team at Vios are beyond exceptional. Infertility is hard and going through treatment, IVF, etc is even harder. The care and attention that Dr. Rhee and her team provided my husband and I with was excellent. She was able to isolate our issues and form an appropriate treatment to help us achieve our goal of having a family. I am now pregnant into my second trimester and I would not be here without the help of Dr. Rhee. I truly felt that she always considering what was best for us physically, mentally and financially. I really felt that they all cared about what were going through and I was always confident that it would turn out ok. I would 100% recommend Dr. Rhee to anyone struggling with infertility. She was highly recommended to me by my OB and I am so glad that we decided to go with her. Everyone at Vios that we interacted with was truly exceptional. Dr. Rhee, Meredith, Chris, the ultrasound techs, etc were always patient and extremely empathetic to us as we navigated through the entire process.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The costs were typical costs for an IVF. I felt as though it was in line with research we had done with what IVF actually costs.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Yes, Dr. Rhee always recommended that we only transfer 1. Through both transfers, we listened to her advice and only did the 1 each time.
Dr. Rhee is amazing. We have been candid from our very first consultation that we were nearing the end of our fertility journey, but wanted to try one more doctors perspective. She was willing to work with us on what she thought would be most successful for us. Even when things didn't turn out like we'd hoped, she called and talked to us and just let us know that she was sorry and that she is always thinking of the next steps we could try, if we wanted to, but never any pressure. She was extremely thorough with us, doing just about every test under the sun to make sure we had the best quality embryos to transfer with a perfectly healthy and capable uterus.
Both locations [for Vios Fertility Institute] have beautifully decorated office space. All of the staff is friendly. A weakness might be that some of the ultrasound techs are maybe new to fertility scans and can take a long time and also don't always share the screen so you can see what they are looking at.... Meredith and Andrea [nurses] are both wonderful. So sweet and caring as well as organized and easy to get in contact with, if any questions arise. They always call or email when they say they are going to. I have never had any issues with getting them to order medications or give clear instructions on what to do and when, with those medications. Both are very good communicators and it is appreciated when doing a treatment that can be so stressful.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee is amazing. We have been candid from our very first consultation that we were nearing the end of our fertility journey, but wanted to try one more doctors perspective. She was willing to work with us on what she thought would be most successful for us. Even when things didn't turn out like we'd hoped, she called and talked to us and just let us know that she was sorry and that she is always thinking of the next steps we could try, if we wanted to, but never any pressure. She was extremely thorough with us, doing just about every test under the sun to make sure we had the best quality embryos to transfer with a perfectly healthy and capable uterus. That way should our journey come to an end without a baby, that we could live without regrets, knowing we did everything we could. Couldn't be happier with our choice of RE.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Make sure you ask questions, she is always happy to talk to you about how she came to her decisions, makes you feel more comfortable going forward.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee is very personable and easy to talk to. She is willing to call you on the phone, meet in the office, email, whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable, no matter if it is good news or bad. She knows me and my husband and is always asking about how we are outside of our fertility life.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
We did an IUI cycle with femara because it was one low cost intervention that we hadn't tried yet. I felt I had ovulated earlier that anticipated and Dr. Rhee was able to get us in quickly for 2 IUIs 24 hrs apart. Treatment was negative, but we felt we needed to try an "easy" approach just in case it worked out for us. We then moved on to IVF with Cetrotide. This was a new protocol for me doing IVF but nothing else had worked so we were willing to give it a chance. My body did not like cetrotide, I had a lower number of eggs retrieved and poor quality embryos. We did not have any embryos to freeze for genetic testing or for transfer. She then decided to go back to the lupron I had been on with previous cycles and my body responded much better. We did 2 retrievals for embryo banking and PGS testing with the same protocol. We ended up with 7 embryos tested with PGS and 2 were normal. We have done receptivity testing with pre and post receptive results and transferred 1 embryo which unfortunately was not successful.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Meredith)
Meredith and Andrea are both wonderful. So sweet and caring as well as organized and easy to get in contact with, if any questions arise. They always call or email when they say they are going to. I have never had any issues with getting them to order medications or give clear instructions on what to do and when, with those medications. Both are very good communicators and it is appreciated when doing a treatment that can be so stressful.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Both locations have beautifully decorated office space. All of the staff is friendly. A weakness might be that some of the ultrasound techs are maybe new to fertility scans and can take a long time and also don't always share the screen so you can see what they are looking at. But I think that is just part of being a newer practice that is growing rapidly.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Cost for treatments are comparable to other clinics I have been to. I feel they are fair and willing to work with you on payment options.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Dr Rhee was willing to let us decide if we wanted a single embryo transfer or transfer 2 embryos. She let us know that a eSET is the most recommended and gave use the pros/cons and percentage of likelihood we would be successful with both eSET or transferring two. We appreciated her insight, but ultimately it was up to me and my husband, with Dr. Rhee's guidance.
Dr. Rhee took the time to explain what would be most financially feasible and also explained that we would have access to CareCredit, if needed...Dr. Rhee and her staff were compassionate and informative. She took as much time as needed to be sure that we understood exactly what was to come. She was also honest, which we greatly appreciated....Dr. Rhee explained all options including the costs, pros, cons and success rates...In testing, she discovered an issue that required surgery. Dr. Rhee made every effort to make us feel calm and comfortable before, during and after said procedure, even taking the time to discuss it afterwards with family that accompanied me. She remained compassionate and optimistic throughout or entire experience with VIOS.
We found both locations [Vios - STL] to be well-run, organized and professional. We also found it to be hugely convenient that they had a location in Illinois as well. They were willing to work around our work schedules for early appointments and provided quick feedback on any question we had...From the first appointment...[the] staff were compassionate and informative...Any time I received an EOB or bill that needed clarification on, Lisa was quick to offer insight and explanation. Dr. Rhee's office went so far as to resubmit billing for a procedure that was coded incorrectly.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee made it a point to explain all potential risks and benefits of certain tests and procedures. With full understanding, we were comfortable in taking any advice she offered. In testing, she discovered an issue that required surgery. Dr. Rhee made every effort to make us feel calm and comfortable before, during and after said procedure, even taking the time to discuss it afterwards with family that accompanied me. She remained compassionate and optimistic throughout or entire experience with VIOS.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Be calm and remain hopeful. Infertility can lead you on a roller coaster of emotions that Dr. Rhee makes every effort to understand.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
From the first appointment, Dr. Rhee and her staff were compassionate and informative. She took as much time as needed to be sure that we understood exactly what was to come. She was also honest, which we greatly appreciated. She was clear in stating that pregnancy may not happen right away, but that her office would see us through until the end.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
Being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, my husband and I felt a bit defeated as to what course of treatment would best suit our situation. Dr. Rhee explained all options including the costs, pros, cons and success rates. After initial testing showed that both my husband and I were healthy, we chose IUI. After 5 days of chlomid, followed by the trigger shot, we went in for our procedure. We were thrilled to learn 2 weeks later that the IUI was successful and that we are expecting our little bundle due this Fall. Even at our post-pregnancy consult, Dr. Rhee was just as excited to learn that we had success the first time around, as we had been warned that it wasn't particularly common.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Meredith and Lisa)
I was in communication with many of Dr. Rhee's staff and every experience was a pleasant one. Every single staff member was kind, compassionate and patient. They treated us like someone they had a personal investment in and were genuinely hopeful for our success. We couldn't be more pleased or thankful for each of them and the service they provided.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
We found both locations to be well-run, organized and professional. We also found it to be hugely convenient that they had a location in Illinois as well. They were willing to work around our work schedules for early appointments and provided quick feedback on any question we had.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We were one of the few with little to no fertility coverage through our insurance. Dr. Rhee took the time to explain what would be most financially feasible and also explained that we would have access to CareCredit, if needed. Our total cost would not be the average, thus I have chosen to withhold actual figures. Any time I received an EOB or bill that needed clarification on, Lisa was quick to offer insight and explanation. Dr. Rhee's office went so far as to resubmit billing for a procedure that was coded incorrectly. In my opinion, they all did what was within their power to provide the most cost-efficient care for us.
We also experienced low numbers of eggs during our 2 retrievals. Dr. Rhee explained why she was comfortable and confident with continuing the cycle and we were lucky enough to end up with being pregnant with twins. Dr. Rhee was compassionate, provided me with all the necessary information and never made us feel pressured into a decision...After much consideration, we took a leap of faith and skipped the PGS test and transferred our only 2 embryos...went in for an ultrasound at 6 weeks were it was confirmed we were having twins.
My primary nurse [at Vios Fertility Institute] was amazing! During my time, the office was smaller so I didn't always get someone on the first call, but I always got a call back in a reasonable amount of time... My nurse and the entire team at Vios always had my appointments and procedure protocols organized and I never felt lost in the process. The entire team at Vios was genuinely invested in my care and outcome...Everything was organized and I never had issues with appointments or prescriptions. You do have to be prepared to visit their Mercy office and their IL office during an IVF cycle.
How was your experience with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Rhee explained the options, heard my concerns, and offered a recommendation of treatment, but I always felt like I had a choice. In fact, during our last cycle she explained a concern she had, but also shared that she was comfortable with either course of action we decided on. We also experienced low numbers of eggs during our 2 retrievals. Dr. Rhee explained why she was comfortable and confident with continuing the cycle and we were lucky enough to end up with being pregnant with twins. Dr. Rhee was compassionate, provided me with all the necessary information and never made us feel pressured into a decision. The day I was discharged with a healthy pregnancy was an very exciting day, yet a little sad because Dr. Rhee and her team were more like family throughout our journey.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Explore your options, but you can be confident in a decision to seek treatment with Dr. Rhee.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis?
During my treatment, I felt I was treated very much like a human and not a number. I could call the office and talk to Dr. Rhee or her nurse, Meredith, at any time. Never felt rushed through a conversation. I also got to know the the other ladies in the office, so it felt more like a family during this difficult time.
Describe the protocols Julie Rhee used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
After my OBGYN tested me for egg quality and reserve and tested my husband, Dr. Rhee began our treatment with a sonohysterosalpingogram. My tubes were not blocked, but I had dilation so Dr. Rhee recommended a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) before we moved forward with treatment. The HSG showed the dye coming through, but pooled. Dr. Rhee was comfortable with moving forward with treatment. Had it showed blockage, she would have removed the blocked tube. Because we were lucky enough to have our insurance cover IVF and we had previous pregnancy resulting in a genetic abnormality that was fatal, Dr. Rhee recommended IVF over IUI. IVF allowed us to do a genetic screening of the embryos (PGS). Because of my age and health, there was no concern or any reason to believe we wouldn't get a desired amount of eggs for the egg retrieval. I went through the first IVF cycle, but Dr. Rhee was only able to retrieve 5 eggs - 4 of which were mature. 1 egg did not make it to day 5. We tested 3 eggs with PGS. All came back abnormal. Dr. Rhee recommended another cycle of IVF and depending on how many eggs we got this time, we would bank the eggs and do another cycle. For our second IVF cycle, we changed the injections in hopes of more eggs. Unfortunately we only retrieved 3 eggs. But, we had high quality embryos again and 2 out of 3 made it to day 5 (not very common). Because the first PGS test showed all embryos to be abnormal, but abnormal for unusual chromosomal issues that would either cause an early miscarriage or would autocorrect, we talked to Dr. Rhee about skipping the PGS test and doing a fresh egg transfer. Dr. Rhee was very supportive and comfortable with the option. After much consideration, we took a leap of faith and skipped the PGS test and transferred our only 2 embryos. Six days later I got a positive home pregnancy test and Dr. Rhee did a blood test 9 days after the transfer and confirmed I was pregnant. We went for blood work 2 more times to monitor numbers and then went in for an ultrasound at 6 weeks were it was confirmed we were having twins. We heard 2 heartbeats - it was the best day! Dr. Rhee scanned me weekly through 9 weeks when I was discharged with a healthy pregnancy.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Meredith Woody)
My primary nurse was amazing! During my time, the office was smaller so I didn't always get someone on the first call, but I always got a call back in a reasonable amount of time. I know they are growing, so this might be different now. My nurse and the entire team at Vios always had my appointments and procedure protocols organized and I never felt lost in the process. The entire team at Vios was genuinely invested in my care and outcome.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Everything was organized and I never had issues with appointments or prescriptions. You do have to be prepared to visit their Mercy office and their IL office during an IVF cycle.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Rhee at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I was lucky enough to have insurance coverage so all i paid was my out of pocket maximum. Leading to this were office visit copays, paying for injections before delivery and paying 50% of procedure cost prior to the procedure. The remaining balance was due after it went through insurance after procedure completion.
Describe Julie Rhee's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Dr. Rhee made us aware of the possibility of embryos splitting and shared all the information on the risks of carrying multiples. She also shared that based on my age and other factors, one embryo was recommended. But, she gave us the option of 1 or 2, but would not do more. I was very happy to be able to make my own decision after hearing all of the facts.